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From waste to clean energy: bioethanol production from cassava peels, consumer perceptions, and policy strategies for sustainable adoption
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
The Association of Urban Greenspace Characteristics with Tick Densities and Borrelia burgdorferi prevalence in Scotland
Full text linkTicks are an ecosystem disservice in urban greenspaces, with the potential to transmit diseases. The characteristics of an urban greenspace can impact the hazard of ticks and tick-borne pathogens both within a greenspace and in the surrounding area. This research aimed to understand how the configuration, connectivity, area, and land cover of urban greenspaces can influence the population densities of ticks and the associated hazard of Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease. Tick densities were estimated at 34 sites across Scotland in 2022 and 2023, and tick samples were analysed to detect the prevalence of B. burgdorferi pathogens. The area and connectivity of each greenspace was calculated, as well as the proportions of four land cover types within a 1 km buffer around each greenspace. An agent-based model was used to explore how the configurations of single large vs several small greenspaces may influence the risk of tick bites and Borrelia infections. Increased connectivity of urban greenspaces was significantly correlated with increased density of nymphs (DON) and the density of infected nymphs (DIN) within greenspaces. Increased greenspace area was associated with increased DIN, but not DON. Land cover was found to have varying effects on DON and DIN; Increased woodland cover was associated with increased DIN but decreased DON. The proportion of built-up area was negatively associated with the DIN. Increased areas of improved grassland were associated with increased DIN, while the proportion of semi-natural grassland had the opposite effect. Modelling outputs suggested that while the risk of tick bites may be significantly higher in a ‘several small’ greenspace configuration, the risk of Borrelia infections is significantly higher in a ‘single large’ greenspace. These results highlight the need for urban planners to recognise these potential disservices when designing greenspaces, and the importance of educating the public about tick awareness
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Genomic Characterisation of Novel Veterinary Pathogens: Anaplasma & Bartonella species
Full text linkBackground: Bartonella sp. and Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap) are vector-bornebacterial pathogens with significant veterinary and public health implications. WhileBartonella species persist in the bloodstream of various mammals causing long termbacteraemia, Ap is an intracellular pathogen causing granulocytic anaplasmosis.Despite their importance, genomic data on novel Bartonella species and UK Apstrains remains limited. Additionally, the low abundance and intracellular nature ofAp complicate direct sequencing from host tissues. Expanding genomic resourcesand refining enrichment methods are essential for improving pathogencharacterisation and understanding host-pathogen interactions.Objectives: Characterise a novel species of Bartonella, generate the first completegenome representations of Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap) isolated in the UK anddevelop optimised enrichment methodologies for high-resolution sequencing of Apdirectly from infected host tissue.Methods: Three Bartonella strains isolated from field voles (Microtus agrestis) andseven Ap strains isolated from domestic ruminants were sequenced using Illuminashort-read and Oxford Nanopore long-read systems. Genomic analyses includedphylogenetic reconstruction based on concatenated core gene alignments,pangenomic profiling, and average nucleotide identity calculations. Enrichmentstrategies encompassing differential lysis (Molzym), CpG methylation depletion(NEB), biotinylated RNA bait capture (Agilent SureSelect), and adaptive sampling(ONT) were systematically evaluated on roe deer spleen samples infected with Ap.Alignment files were investigated to assess genome coverage and identify capturebiases. An optimised approach was applied to the spleen of an Ap-infected commonshrew (Sorex araneus) with the aim of characterising the currently uncultured,genetically divergent small mammal-associated (ecotype III) strain of the species.Results: Whole genome analyses identified the three Bartonella strains as a novellineage 3 species, proposed as Bartonella bennettii most notably containing achromosomally integrated vbh/TraG type IV secretion system of plasmid origin.Phylogenetic analysis of UK Ap isolates placed them within the European ecotype Icluster, while revealing potential subdivisions. The pangenome identified core andaccessory genes, with ANI values suggesting species boundaries within Ap.Enrichment protocols combining Monarch HMW DNA extraction and NEBmicrobiome depletion yielded optimal pathogen representation. Gap analysishighlighted capture biases and the potential of the technology to capture completeAp genomes, especially in the context of long read systems. The small mammal-associated ecotype III strain was partially captured with non-specific ecotype I baitsidentifying the limits of the capture technology. Linkage analysis of groEL genessupported existing ecotype classifications, whereas whole genome phylogeneticsindicated potential reclassification into four epidemiologically separated species in aglobal context.Conclusions: B. bennettii was characterised through genomic analyses, providinginsights into the diversity and evolution of virulence factors in the Bartonella genus.Additionally, the first complete Ap genomes from the UK were generated, providinginsights into genomic diversity and phylogenetic relationships. Optimised enrichmentstrategies were developed for high-resolution metagenomic sequencing, overcomingchallenges posed by low bacterial loads and complex metagenomic samples. Wholegenome analysis suggests the European ecotypes are representative of global Apdiversity, with ANI supporting the existence of four epidemiologically separatespecies within Ap. Continued genomic characterisation is crucial for understandingthe drivers of host specificity, zoonotic potential, and epidemiological dynamicswithin these diverse blood-borne parasites
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